Police find two injured
Two people were found seriously injured after an incident at a property in East Lothian.
A 34-year-old man and a 51-year- old woman were discovered at the address in Main Street in Longniddry on Friday night.
They were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
Gordonstoun have contacted more than 3000 old students and urged them to speak out if they were ever victims.
Senior staff took the action after allegations of abuse surfaced at the junior school two years ago.
The £ 33,000-a-year boarding school near Elgin, Moray, was one of several Scottish private schools n a med b y judge Lady Smith, who is heading the national inquiry into historical child abuse.
Prince Charles hated his time at the school so much that he dubbed it “Colditz in kilts”.
Prince Philip, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward also attended the school.
Lisa Kerr, Gordonstoun’s first female principal, said the school had been “incredibly proactive” in contacting their alumni to ask anyone who had a bad experience to come forward and report anything criminal to the police.
The move has been praised by abuse charities.
Kerr added: “There is not an organisation in the country that could not put its hand on its heart and say, ‘Did things happen in the past which I wish hadn’t happened?’
“That’s a matter for sadness and regret in society as a whole.
“What we’re doing here is giving as much attention and care to people who did not have a happy time in the past as pupils in our care today.
“For us, it’s not about trying to brush anything under the carpet. Quite the opposite.
“We cannot give the kind of superb pastoral care we have here today if we try to pretend that the past did not happen.
“We have to be open about it. I’m determined to do that, and I hope it will give people the confidence to come forward.”
Children’s charities last night welcomed the move. Alison Todd, chief executive of Children 1st, said: “Anything that encourages and raises awareness of the abuse inquiry is good.
“It’s also important that children, young people and adults know that if something has happened to them, there is support out there and also, if possible, people are brought to justice.”
As part of the pastoral care now offered at Gordonstoun, every student is assigned a staf f supervisor, a group leader, a child protection officer and a student counsellor.
The school have also been working with a government programme run by Strathclyde University, the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland to offer better support.
More than 60 institutions, including Fettes College and Merchiston Castle schools in Edinburgh, are under investigation as part of the inquiry.
A spokesman for NSPCC Scotland urged anyone who may have been a victim of past abuse at Gordonstoun or any other institution to approach the police or the charity helpline. He added: “Anyone who abuses children must be pursued and brought to justice, no matter how long ago the offences were committed.”